What is a vowel?

A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y are the vowels of the alphabet in English! All of the other letters in the English alphabet are referred to as “consonants.”

Vowels are different from consonants in the sounds that they make and the way that we use our mouths and lungs to make those sounds.

Vowels are letters that you can say without stopping the flow of air from your lungs as it comes out of your mouth, and letters you can say with very little friction that you can hear. Pronounce the consonants “T” or “K.” Do you feel the way the air has to stop coming out of your mouth in order for you to say these letters? Do you hear friction while making these sounds?

Now, say the vowels “A” or “U.” Think about how the air flow from your mouth isn’t stopped when you say these letters. Think about how they don’t have the same sound of friction when you say them. – This is what makes vowels special and different from consonants!

Exploration

Vowel variety!

Do you speak any second languages, or are you studying one in school? If so, what are the vowels of the other language that you know? Think about the way vowels work, and how this applies to the vowels of another language!

Ask some people you know about the different languages they speak, and what the vowels are in those languages! How are they similar to the vowels in English? Are there any ways in which they’re different??